Saturday, December 1, 2012

Improving the Situation



 http://www.dec.wa.gov.au/pdf/science/bio_audit/great_victoria_desert01_p343-350.pdf
To maintain the relatively good conservation status of the Great Victoria Desert, the Australian government and the native people need to maintain the conservation of the desert lands.  If possible, the government should declare even more of the desert as conservation regions, which would limit the possibility of agriculture and pastoral development should such a situation arise.  At the very least, leaving the desert alone should be sufficient since its harsh climate can protect itself fairly well. 
To handle the invasive animals, there first must be some effort to research their patterns as they move across the desert.  With more information, it can be possible to pinpoint the areas where these animals are causing the most trouble and possibly confine them to this one region to keep them from spreading.  The fences previously built could work however more natural 'barriers' should be researched and  implemented.  What should not be done is to introduce even more non-native species to the environment.  This will just cause a never ending chain of introducing invasive species to attempt to control the previous invasive species.

Future Prospects



 http://www.liswa.wa.gov.au/wepon/land/html/rabbits.html
The future for the Great Victoria Desert looks very good, especially considering the fates of other ecoregions throughout the world.  The desert will always be a very harsh environment, which naturally keeps away negative human consequences.  The nuclear testing has been finished for decades and the radiation produced will eventually wear off, so in terms of contamination, everything will only get better.  The feral animals, on the other hand, are much harder to handle.  Australia has already taken measures against these animals by building fences and such.  However, in areas such as the Great Victoria Desert where there is little human to watch for the problem, these animals could easily get out of hand.  Currently, the threat of these animals are not too pronounced but if not closely watched over, it is very possible for these animals to completely drive away the vulnerable native wildlife.